Titanic Database Migration

Par 8
Question 32advancedSheet 1750822302

Deep Breath

A database administrator must complete a critical migration while the ship literally sinks. First-class data gets priority in the lifeboats while steerage data is left to drown. The captain insists the migration will be completed even as the server room floods. Your task: Execute emergency data migration with catastrophic infrastructure failure and class-based prioritization.

Why You're Doing This

You're implementing priority-based data evacuation under extreme resource constraints and time pressure. This tests data migration strategies, priority queuing, resource allocation under scarcity, and ethical decision-making. It's like disaster recovery planning but with actual maritime disaster and Victorian-era social prejudices.

Take the W

  • Prioritizes critical data based on business value and social hierarchy
  • Handles catastrophic infrastructure failure gracefully
  • Maximizes data survival within resource constraints

Hard L

  • Treats all data equally regardless of business priority
  • Attempts to save everything and loses it all
  • Ignores physical constraints of sinking infrastructure

Edge Cases

  • All high-priority data corrupted, only low-priority data saveable
  • Disaster recovery resources sufficient to save everything
  • Legal requirement to preserve specific data regardless of priority
  • Data classification system failing during emergency
  • Post-disaster investigation requiring preservation of evacuation decisions
Input Format:
data_classification_objects, storage_capacity_limits, evacuation_time_constraints
Expected Output:
migration_algorithm with priority_queue_implementation
Example:
data=[{class:"first", size:100}, {class:"steerage", size:50}], capacity=120, time_limit=urgent → priority_queue_by_class(), allocate_by_business_value(), implement_cutoff_protocols()
Hints
  • 💡 Data priority: customer_accounts > financial_records > operational_data > historical_logs
  • 💡 Resource constraints: limited_backup_drives, flooding_server_room, evacuation_time
  • 💡 Ethical considerations: business_value vs fairness vs legal_requirements